Accessary Minerals SIMS U-Th-Pb Dating for Kimberlite and Lamproite

Kimberlite and lamproite,the major source of diamonds,are volatile-rich potassic ultramafic rocks that originate from the deep lithospheric mantle.These rocks are important for deciphering the composition and

Kaapvaal lamproite melts(aka orangeites):A new type of alkalicarbonate liquid?insights from olivine-hosted multiphase inclusions(Silvery Home,South Africa)

Kaapvaal lamproites(aka orangeites)are a group of volatile-rich(H_(2)O,CO_(2)),micaceous,ultrapotassic igneous rocks that are unique to the Kaapvaal craton in southern Africa.However,the composition of the melts that give rise to these rocks remains poorly understood due to overprinting effects of contamination by mantle and crustal material,volatile exsolution,fractional crystallisation and post-magmatic alteration.Consequently,this lack of reliable data on the initial composition of the Kaapvaal lamproite melts hampers our understanding of their source,petrogenesis and ascent mechanisms.Olivine is a common mineral comprising the Kaapvaal lamproites that has both xenocrystic(i.e.,mantle)and magmatic origins.Multiphase inclusions(melt/fluid)entrapped within olivine have been consistently demonstrated as an effective tool for gaining fundamental insights into the composition and evolution of melts that produce both kimberlites and lamproites,prior to processes,such as eruption,devolatization and syn-/post-magmatic alteration.In this study,multiphase inclusions of both secondary and pseudosecondary origin hosted in olivine from a Kaapvaal lamproite(Silvery Home,South Africa)provide novel insights into the composition of the melt(s)that initially transported olivine to the surface and then crystallised after emplacement to form the lamproite groundmass.The inclusions in our study contain daughter mineral assemblages consisting of diverse Ca-Mg carbonates,including K-,Na-,Ba-,and Sr-bearing varieties,moderate K-rich silicates(phlogopite,tetraferriphlogopite),and subordinate oxides,phosphates,sulphides,sulphates,and halides.Based on these daughter mineral assemblages,we suggest that the composition of the melt entrapped by olivine was SiO_(2)-poor,Ca-Mg carbonate-rich and contained elevated concentrations of K,Na,Ba,Sr,P and Cl.The mineral and reconstructed melt compositions are in stark contrast to the mineral association of the groundmass and the bulk-rock composition of the Silvery Home lamproite,respectively.We suggest that alkali-/alkali-earth carbonates,phosphates,sulphides,sulphates,and halides represented a potentially significant,or even dominant,component of the melt that crystallised the Silvery Home lamproite but were likely removed by degassing and/or interaction with syn-/post-magmatic fluids.We show that olivine-hosted multiphase inclusions from the Silvery Home lamproite share many compositional similarities to melt inclusions hosted in olivine from kimberlites but are distinct from‘classic’cratonic olivine lamproites worldwide.

Lamproites and kimberlites in China and the genesis of diamond deposit

It is known that the lamproites occur in the southeastern Guizhou Province and in the Dahong Mountains area, Hubei Province; and many para lamproite occurrences spread in the west half part of the South China landmass. The para lamproite diatremes in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province, contain a few of fine grains of diamond. Parts of the kimberlite pipes and dykes in Mengyin County, Shandong Province, consist locally of basic kimberlite; and the kimberlite dykes in the Maping kimberlite area, Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province, consist of basic kimberlite principally. Although the diamondiferous kimberlites and lamproites occur always in the cratons within continental plate, both the potassium rich ultramafic rocks display the geochemical features of the magmatism of post collision in orogenic belt. Both the kimberlite and lamproite magmas may originate from the local parts of the mantle transition zone, where the mantle contains the matter of ancestor slab of ancient subduction zone. And, both the K rich ultramafic magmas generated in an active mantle plume, which came from the boundary between the core and the lower mantle. The basic kimberlite magma may be more capable of preserving the crystals of the diamond type II.

Melting of hydrous pyroxenites with alkali amphiboles in the continental mantle:1.Melting relations and major element compositions of melts

Melting experiments on ultramafic rocks rich in the hydrous minerals phlogopite or phlogopite+K-rich terite,some including 5%of accessory phases,have been conducted at 15 and 50 kbar.The assemblages represent probable source components that contribute to melts in cratonic regions,but whose melt compositions are poorly known.A main series of starting compositions based on MARID xenoliths consisted of a third each of clinopyroxene(CPX),phlogopite(PHL)and K-richterite(KR)with or without 5%ilmenite,rutile or apatite.Additional experiments were run without KR and with higher proportions of accessory phases.Melt traps were used at near-solidus temperatures to facilitate accurate analysis of wellquenched melts,for which reversal experiments demonstrate equilibrium.Results show that KR melts rapidly and completely within 50°C of the solidus,so that melts reflect the composition of the amphibole and its melting reaction.Melts have high SiO_(2) and especially K_(2)O but low CaO and Al_(2)O_(3) relative to basaltic melts produced from peridotites at similar pressures.They have no counterparts amongst natural rocks,but most closely resemble leucite lamproites at 15 kbar.KR and PHL melt incongruently to form olivine(OL)and CPX at 15 kbar,promoting SiO2 contents of the melt,whereas orthopyroxene OPX is increasingly stable at lower lithosphere pressures,leading to an increase in Mg O and decrease in SiO_(2) in melts,which resemble olivine lamproites.Melts of mica pyroxenites without KR are richer in CaO and Al_(2)O_(3) and do not resemble lamproites.These experiments show that low CaO and Al_(2)O_(3) in igneous rocks is not necessarily a sign of a depleted peridotite source.Accessory phases produce melts exceptionally rich in P_(2)O_(5) or TiO_(2) depending on the phases present and are unlike any melts seen at the Earth’s surface,but may be important agents of metasomatism seen in xenoliths.The addition of the 5%accessory phases ilmenite,rutile or apatite result in melting temperatures a few ten of degrees lower;at least two of these appear essential to explain the compositions of many alkaline igneous rocks on cratons.Melting temperatures for CPX+PHL+KR mixtures are close to cratonic geotherms at depths>130 km:minor perturbations of the stable geotherm at>150 km will rapidly lead to 20%melting.Melts of hydrous pyroxenites with a variety of accessory phases will be common initial melts at depth,but will change if reaction with wall-rocks occurs,leading to volcanism that contains chemical components of peridotite even though the temperature in the source region remains well below the melting point of peridotite.At higher temperatures,extensive melting of peridotite will dilute the initial alkaline melts:this is recognizable as alkaline components in basalts and,in extreme cases,alkali picrites.Hydrous pyroxenites are,therefore,components of most mantle-derived igneous rocks:basaltic rocks should not be oversimplified as being purely melts of peridotite or of mixtures of peridotite and dry pyroxenite without hydrous phases.

Petrogenesis of carbonatitic lamproitic dykes from Sidhi gneissic complex,Central India

Petrographic, mineral chemical and whole-rock geochemical characteristics of two newly discovered lamproitic dykes(Dyke 1 and Dyke 2) from the Sidhi Gneissic Complex(SGC), Central India are presented here. Both these dykes have almost similar sequence of mineral-textural patterns indicative of:(1) an early cumulate forming event in a deeper magma chamber where megacrystic/large size phenocrysts of phlogopites have crystallized along with subordinate amount of olivine and clinopyroxene;(2) crystallization at shallow crustal levels promoted fine-grained phlogopite, K-feldspar, calcite and Fe-Ti oxides in the groundmass;(3) dyke emplacement related quench texture(plumose K-feldspar, acicular phlogopites) and finally(4) post emplacement autometasomatism by hydrothermal fluids which percolated as micro-veins and altered the mafic phases. Phlogopite phenocrysts often display resorption textures together with growth zoning indicating that during their crystallization equilibrium at the crystal-melt interface fluctuated multiple times probably due to incremental addition or chaotic dynamic self mixing of the lamproitic magma. Carbonate aggregates as late stage melt segregation are common in both these dykes, however their micro-xenolithic forms suggest that assimilation with a plutonic carbonatite body also played a key role in enhancing the carbonatitic nature of these dykes. Geochemically both dykes are ultrapotassic(K_2 O/Na_2 O: 3.0-9.4) with low CaO, Al_2 O_3 and Na_2 O content and high SiO_2(53.3-55.6 wt.%)and K_2 O/Al_2 O_3 ratio(0.51-0.89) characterizing them as high-silica lamproites. Inspite of these similarities, many other features indicate that both these dykes have evolved independently from two distinct magmas. In dyke 1, phlogopite composition has evolved towards the minette trend(Al-enrichment) from a differentiated parental magma having low MgO, Ni and Cr content; whereas in dyke 2, phlogopite composition shows an evolutionary affinity towards the lamproite trend(Al-depletion) and crystallized from a more primitive magma having high MgO, Ni and Cr content. Whole-rock trace-elements signatures like enriched LREE, LILE, negative Nb-Ta and positive Pb anomalies; high Rb/Sr, Th/La, Ba/Nb, and low Ba/Rb, Sm/La, Nb/U ratios in both dykes indicate that their pareintal magmas were sourced from a subduction modified garnet facies mantle containing phlogopite. From various evidences it is proposed that the petrogenesis of studied lamproitic dykes stand out to be an example for the lamproite magma which attained a carbonatitic character and undergone diverse chemical evolution in response to parental melt composition, storage at deep crustal level and autometasomatism.

Petrogenesis of the diamondiferous Pipe-8 ultramafic intrusion from the Wajrakarur kimberlite field of Southern India and its relation to the worldwide Mesoproterozoic(~1.1 Ga) magmatism of kimberlite and related rocks

Detailed mineralogy,bulk rock major,trace and Sr-Nd isotope compositions,and ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar dating of the Pipe-8 diamondiferous ultramafic intrusion in the Wajrakarur cluster of southern India,is reported.Based on the presence of Ti-rich phlogopite,high Na/K content in amphibole,Al-and Ti-rich diopside,a titanomagnetite trend in spinel and the presence of Ti-rich schorlomite garnet and carbonates in the groundmass,the Pipe-8 intrusion is here more precisely classified as an ultramafic lamprophyre(i.e.,aillikite).An aillikite affinity of the Pipe-8 intrusion is further supported by the bulk rock major and trace element and Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry.Sr-Nd isotope data are consistent with a common,moderately depleted upper mantle source region for both the Pipe-8 aillikite as well as the Wajrakarur kimberlites of southern India.A phlogopite-rich groundmass ^(40)Ar/^(39)Ar plateau age of 1115.8±7.9 Ma(2σ) for the Pipe-8 intrusion falls within a restricted 100 Ma time bracket as defined by the 1053-1155 Ma emplacement ages of kimberlites and related rocks in India.The presence of ultramafic lamprophyres,carbonatites,kimberlites,and olivine lamproites in the Wajrakarur kimberlite field requires low degrees of partial melting of contrasting metasomatic assemblages in a heterogeneous sub-continental lithospheric mantle.The widespread association of kimberlite and other mantle-derived magmatism during the Mesoproterozoic(ca.1.1 Ga) have been interpreted as being part of a single large igneous province comprising of the Kalahari,Australian,West Laurentian and Indian blocks of the Rodinia supercontinent that were in existence during its assembly.In India only kimberlite/lamproite/ultramafic lamprophyre magmatism occurred at this time without the associated large igneous provinces as seen in other parts of Rodinia.This may be because of the separated paleo-latitudinal position of India from Australia during the assembly of Rodinia.It is speculated that the presence of a large plume at or close to 1.1 Ga within the Rodinian supercontinent,with the Indian block located on its periphery,could be the reason for incipient melting of lithospheric mantle and the consequent emplacement of only kimberlites and other ultramafic,volatile rich rocks in India due to comparatively low thermal effects from the distant plume.

Melting of hydrous pyroxenites with alkali amphiboles in the continental mantle:2.Trace element compositions of melts and minerals

The trace element compositions of melts and minerals from high-pressure experiments on hydrous pyroxenites containing K-richterite are presented. The experiments used mixtures of a third each of the natural minerals clinopyroxene, phlogopite and K-richterite, some with the addition of 5% of an accessory phase ilmenite, rutile or apatite. Although the major element compositions of melts resemble natural lamproites, the trace element contents of most trace elements from the three-mineral mixture are much lower than in lamproites. Apatite is required in the source to provide high abundances of the rare earth elements, and either rutile and/or ilmenite is required to provide the high field strength elements Ti, Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf. Phlogopite controls the high levels of Rb, Cs and Ba.Since abundances of trace elements in the various starting mixtures vary strongly because of the use of natural minerals, we calculated mineral/melt partition coefficients (DMin/melt) using mineral modes and melting reactions and present trace element patterns for different degrees of partial melting of hydrous pyroxenites. Rb, Cs and Ba are compatible in phlogopite and the partition coefficient ratio phlogopite/K-richterite is high for Ba (136) and Rb (12). All melts have low contents of most of the first row transition elements, particularly Ni and Cu ((0.1-0.01)×primitive mantle). Nickel has high DMin/melt for all the major minerals (12 for K-richterite, 9.2 for phlogopite and 5.6 for Cpx) and so behaves at least as compatibly as in melting of peridotites. Fluorine/chlorine ratios in melts are high and DMin/melt for fluorine decreases in the order apatite (2.2) > phlogopite (1.5) > K-richterite (0.87). The requirement for apatite and at least one Ti-oxide in the source of natural lamproites holds for mica pyroxenites that lack K-richterite. The results are used to model isotopic ageing in hydrous pyroxenite source rocks: phlogopite controls Sr isotopes, so that lamproites with relatively low 87Sr/86Sr must come from phlogopite-poor source rocks, probably dominated by Cpx and K-richterite. At high pressures (>4 GPa), peritectic Cpx holds back Na, explaining the high K2O/Na2O of lamproites.

On emplacement ages of lam-proites in Zhenyuan County,Guizhou Province,China

Emplacement ages of lamproites that comprise lamproite and olivine lamproite in Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province, China, have been constrained by the whole-rock Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron methods and the whole rock K-Ar method. Intrusive activities of lamproites in the Sinantang area of Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province, took place during the Late Cambrian, as indicated by the Sm-Nd isochron ages (t) = (503±17) (2σ) Ma and by the Rb-Sr isochron ages (t) = (501.2±4.6) (2σ) Ma. Intrusive activities of olivine lamproites at the Maping with Ⅱ -type diamond and Xitou in Zhenyuan County, Guizhou Province, took place from the Late Cambrian to the Early Ordovician, as evidenced by the Sm-Nd isochron ages (t) = (502±27) (2σ) Ma and by the Rb-Sr isochron age (t) = (502± 27) (2σ) Ma. This suggests that the upwelling hot materials derived from the deep mantle were emplaced from the Late Cambrian to the Early Ordovician (503-497 Ma), while the time terminal of cooling of the geothermal event of